Providing points of interest to user devices in variable zones

ABSTRACT

Receiving point of interest zones and alerts on user devices comprises communicating, by a user computing device to a remote computing device, a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user device; presenting the received point of interest data; identifying a particular point of interest; and outputting an alert regarding the particular point of interest. Receiving point of interest zones on user devices comprises communicating a request for point of interest data; receiving the point of interest data from the remote network device wherein a size of the point of interest zone is determined based on a density of points of interest in the proximity of the user, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel and contracted in the opposite direction; and presenting the received point of interest data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/786,434, filed Mar. 5, 2013 and entitled“Configurable Point of Interest Alerts.” The entire contents of theabove-identified priority application are hereby fully incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to point of interestidentification, and more particularly to delivering server-controlledpoint of interest zones and alerts to a user computing device.

BACKGROUND

Location data from a mobile device can be used for numerousapplications. There are applications that use the location data forlocating friends, playing games, and assisting a user with directions.The location data can also be used to alert a user when the user and theuser's device are in the vicinity of a point of interest (“POI”). A POIis any business, institution, or other location that would be ofinterest to a user or for which the user may have a coupon or otheroffer.

In an example, a user may choose to be alerted every time the user nearsa particular store or restaurant, or the server may identify a POI as anearby store that the user frequents and that is currently offering apromotion or coupon. This alert is an example of geo-fencing. Ageo-fence is a virtual perimeter or zone for a real-world geographicarea. A geo-fence could be dynamically generated—as in a radius around astore or point location. When the location-aware user computing deviceuser enters or exits a geo-fence, the device receives a generatednotification. The geo-fence notice might be sent to a user computingdevice.

Unfortunately, POI information is constantly changing. New stores arebuilt, promotions are updated, and the user location changes. A user maydesire constantly updated POI information, but the mobile devices arenot typically capable of maintaining a database of all the POIs and POImarketing data. Trying to maintain this data may have an adverse effecton the data storage capacity of the device, the battery life of thedevice, the required data transmission capacity, or other aspects ofoperating a mobile device.

Conversely, monitoring the location of the user device by the server andcontinually providing updates with POI data as the mobile device changeslocations also adversely affects the battery, storage capacity, and datatransmission capacity of the device.

Additionally, conventional geo-fence alerts provide the same alert to auser whenever the user enters the proximity of a point of interest. Thealert can become a nuisance if the point of interest is in a locationthat the user passes often. For example, the point of interest may belocated next to the home or office of the user. The user might enter thegeo-fence perimeter of the point of interest many times during a singleday. Receiving an alert every time the user passes the point of interestmay cause the user to ignore alerts or even delete the point ofinterest.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the example embodiments described herein provides acomputer-implemented method for receiving server-controlled point ofinterest alerts on user computing devices. The method comprisescommunicating, by a user computing device to a remote computing device,a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interestwithin a proximity of the user computing device, the request comprisinglocation data for the user computing device; receiving the point ofinterest data from the remote network device, the point of interest datacomprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a pointof interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of aplurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined bythe remote network device, wherein the point of interest zone isdisposed in the proximity of the user computing device based on thelocation data; presenting the received point of interest data;identifying a particular point of interest at such time as the usercomputing device enters within a configured range of the particularpoint of interest; requesting an alert format for the particular pointof interest from the remote computing device; outputting an alertregarding the particular point of interest, wherein the alert isprovided by the user computing device in a manner based at least in parton the alert format received from the remote computing device.

Another aspect of the example embodiments described herein provides acomputer-implemented method for receiving server-controlled point ofinterest zones on user computing devices. The method comprisescommunicating, by a user computing device to a remote computing device,a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interestwithin a proximity of the user computing device, the request comprisinglocation data for the user computing device; receiving the point ofinterest data from the remote network device, the point of interest datacomprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a pointof interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of aplurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined bythe remote network device, wherein the point of interest zone isdisposed in the proximity of the user computing device based on thelocation data, and wherein a size of the point of interest zone isdetermined based on a density of available points of interest in theproximity of the user computing device, and wherein the shape of thepoint of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel andcontracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel, thedirection of travel being determined by a comparison of changinglocations of the user computing device; and presenting the receivedpoint of interest data.

These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the exampleembodiments will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in theart upon consideration of the following detailed description ofillustrated example embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an operating environment of a pointof interest location system, in accordance with certain exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for supplying a userdevice with proximate points of interest, in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for generating andtransmitting points of interest to a user device, in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a computing machine and a module, inaccordance with certain example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Overview

The exemplary embodiments provide a point of interest (“POI”) alertapplication that can utilize a user's location data for deliveringserver-controlled POI zones to a mobile device. In some embodiments, theuser must engage in specific activity in order for the user's locationto be used in the techniques described herein. For example, a user mayinstall a POI alert application on their mobile device and/or configurean account on a server in order to engage in the techniques describedherein. The POI alert application can provide a user interface forentering configuration information. The POI alert application can gatherthe location of the user from any location identifying technologyavailable to the user device. For example, the user device can use theWi-Fi transmissions in a given location to identify the location of theuser device. Additionally or alternatively, the POI alert applicationemploys the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) location technology orother location identifying technology of the user device to determinethe location of the device, and thus the location of the user. Thislocation can be transmitted to a server located in a POI monitoringsystem. The POI alert application might gather the location datadirectly from the user device operating system, or the POI alertapplication might request the location from another location-basedapplication operating on the phone.

The POI location system receives the location data from the user deviceand identifies the geographical location of the device. The POI locationsystem then accesses a database for POI information in the vicinity ofthe user device. The POI information may be anything that would be ofinterest to the user. The category of POI information accessed might beuser configured or may be selected by the POI location system serverbased on the user's prior activities, interests, or suggestions.

Examples of POIs that may be identified by the server for transmittingto the user device might include, but would not be limited to,restaurants, stores, or other businesses frequented by the user,businesses currently offering a sale or promotion, businesses currentlyoffering an electronic coupon, tourist attractions, museums, friendsidentified by their devices, or any other identifiable entity in whichthe user may be interested.

The POI information can be any data, offers, or other information inwhich the user might be interested. The POI information can be a coupon,rebate, or other offer. The POI information can be a prepaid offer forwhich the user has paid. The POI information can be a prepaid pass, suchas a movie ticket, boarding pass, event ticket, subway pass, or otherpass for which the user has paid. The POI information can be related toa loyalty program to which the user belongs. For example, the POIinformation can be an update of the user's loyalty points or otherindication of the loyalty status of the user.

The POI location system identifies the POIs in the user's vicinity anduses the density or quality of the POI information to establish the sizeand boundaries of the POI zone to transmit to the user device. The POIlocation system may limit the size of the POI zone to prevent anyadverse effects caused by transmitting a quantity of data that is toolarge for the user device and the system to operate efficiently. Forexample, if the amount of POI data transmitted is too large, the datamay require enough capacity on the data storage unit of the device toaffect the normal operating of the device. Alternatively, if the size ofthe POI zone is too small, the POI location system may be forced totransmit a new zone of POIs to the device too frequently to bepractical. For example, if the POI zone data were transmitted toofrequently, it might consume the battery life of the device.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system can alter the shape ofthe POI zone based on the estimated or approximated situation of theuser and the user device. For example, the POI location system canrecognize how fast the user device is moving. The POI location systemcan determine the speed of the user by monitoring the change in locationof the user device over a period of time. In an example, the POIlocation system can categorize the speed of the user into a set ofcategories. The user may be determined to be moving at a walking speed,biking speed, low driving speed, high driving speed, or not moving.

The size and shape of the zone may be altered based on the velocity ofthe user. For example, if a user is driving in a car on an interstate,the situation of the user is placed in the high driving speed category.The POI zone for a user in a high driving speed category can be adjustedto better predict POIs for which the user may be more interested. Forexample, the user may be more likely to visit a POI that is in thedirection of travel than a POI behind the direction of travel.Additionally, the user may be more likely to visit a POI that is furtherahead in the direction of travel than a POI that is closer to the user,but not in the direction of travel. For instance, the user may plan thenext stop further in advance when traveling at a high rate of speed thanwhen walking.

Thus, an example POI zone for a user traveling at a high driving speedmight be bigger in the direction of travel than behind the direction oftravel. Further, the entire POI zone may be bigger further along in thedirection of travel and smaller close to the user.

In another example, the POI location system can determine the road thata user is traveling on and restrict the POI zone to POIs within aconfigured distance from the road. For example, the POI location systemcan receive a series of locations of the user device and compare thelocations to a map of interstates, highways, and other suitable roads.If the POI location system determines, based on the comparison, that auser is traveling on a particular interstate, then the POI locationsystem can restrict the POI zone to areas within a configured distancefrom the particular interstate. The shape of the POI zone can be alteredto follow the direction of the particular interstate. That is, the POIzone can follow the turns and changes of direction of the particularinterstate on which the user is travelling.

In another example, the user may be categorized as walking. That is,based on the locations received by the POI location system over a periodof time, the POI location system determines a speed of travel anddetermines that the user speed matches the characteristics of a userthat is walking. The POI zone may be adjusted accordingly. For example,the POI zone may be larger in the direction of travel than behind thedirection of travel. In the example, the width of the POI zone in thedirection of travel may be closer to the width of the POI zone behindthe direction of travel as compared to a user traveling at a highdriving speed. As a user that is walking can more easily reversedirections than a user traveling at a high driving speed, the POIlocation system can determine that POIs behind the user may be nearly asrelevant to a user as POIs in the direction of travel.

The POI location system may additionally prioritize the POI data. Basedon user input or an analysis of user historical data, such as purchasinghistory or website usage, the POI location system may provide a rankedlist of the POIs to the user device. This ranked list may be used by thePOI alert application to determine when or how to alert the user to theproximity of a particular POI. For example, the POI alert applicationmay display all POIs on a map of the zone, but only alert the user whenthey are approaching one of the top ten ranked POIs.

Another example of a prioritizing factor might be the value or quantityof coupons or offers being marketed by a POI. For example, the POI alertapplication may not alert a user 101 to a nearby POI if a betterpromotion is being offered by a neighboring business.

In another example, the POI location system may provide the POI data ona map and highlight higher ranked POIs. The higher ranked POIs may havea larger icon or logo, be in a different color than lower ranked POIs,or in any other manner be highlighted on the map.

The POI alert application on the user device receives the zoneboundaries and the POI information. The POI alert application may be anapplication running on the user device that is configured for any typeof POI locating activity. For instance, the POI alert application may bean application that is configured to alert a user to restaurants orstores that are a favorite of the user or are currently offering acoupon. The POI alert application may alert a user to museums or touristattractions. The POI alert application may alert a user of other devicesoperating in the area that may be contacts of the user. The POI alertapplication may be focused on alerting a user to any other business orentity that the user or the server configures the POI alert applicationto monitor.

In an alternate example, the POI alert application is an applicationthat provides POI data to other applications. The POI alert applicationmay receive the POI zone and POI information and provide the POIinformation to other applications operating on the user device. Forexample, the POI alert application may retain the POI information andprovide the information to a second application that provides diningcoupons to a user. When the user nears a restaurant associated with acoupon received by the POI alert application, the POI alert applicationcan alert the second application to the location of the POI and providethe coupon to the second application. Alternatively, the POI alertapplication may provide all proximate POIs to the second applicationupon receipt from the POI location system. Any suitable interactionbetween the POI alert application and any other applications can beperformed to provide the POI information to the user.

After receiving the POI and zone information, the POI alert applicationmay display the information on a map or other grid via the userinterface of the POI alert application. Additionally or alternatively,the POI alert application may display the information to the user in anyother format that can convey the information, such as a simple listingof each POI and the distance away from the user that each POI islocated. The POI alert application may further provide a route to thePOI upon request from the user.

If displaying the information on a map view, the POI alert applicationmay expand or collapse the data displayed to the user depending on thedensity of the data. For example, if a large number of POIs are locatedin a localized area, the POI alert application may group POIs togetherand show the grouping in a single icon or notation. An example of thismay be a shopping complex that contains a quantity of POIs too great todisplay on a user device. The display may simply show a shopping complexnotation and list the number of POIs contained at that location or anyother manner of representing the group of POIs. As the user approachesthe dense POI, the grouped POI may expand to show the individual POIs inthat area.

After receiving the POI information, the mobile device continues tomonitor the location of the user device. If the device approaches a POI,the POI alert application may perform any alert function configured bythe user. For instance, the POI alert application may alert a user whenthe user device is within a configured range of the POI, such as withina block of the POI, or when arrival at or near the POI is expectedwithin a certain time period (e.g., an alert for a scenic lookout pointmight appear 20 minutes before expected arrival at the vista point sothat the user has time to consider whether to stop at that vista point;As another example, an alert for a museum might appear 10 minutes beforeexpected arrival at the interchange at which the user would have to exitto drive to the museum). The alert may additionally take any configuredform desired by the user. In exemplary embodiments, the POI alertapplication may use the alert internally or may provide an audiblealert, a vibration, a visible alert, such as showing the POI details onthe display of the user device, providing an e-mail, or employing anyother configurable alerting procedure. In an alternate embodiment, thePOI alert application may alert the POI location system that the deviceis approaching a POI. The POI location system may perform any alertfunction configured by the user or store the alert for later use. ThePOI location system may send an alert to the POI alert application or toanother location. For example, the POI location system may send anemail, push notification, text message, or another communication to theuser.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system provides coupons orother offers to the POI alert application when the user deviceapproaches a POI. For example, when the POI alert application determinesthat the user device is within a configured distance from a POI, the POIalert application can notify the POI location system, anotherapplication operating on the user device, or any suitable system. ThePOI alert application, the POI location system, or another system, canprovide to the user an offer associated with the POI.

For example, the POI alert application can recognize that the locationof the user device is within a configured proximity of a POI and accessan offer associated with the POI that has been provided by the POIlocation system (e.g., continuing the example from above, the user mightbe offered a discount on admission to the museum along with the alertabout the museum). The offer may have been provided at the time of thetransmitting of the POI zone and the POI information. Alternatively, thePOI alert application can contact the POI location system, provide theidentity of a proximate POI, and request any offers associated with thePOI. The POI location system can provide the offer or prompt a thirdparty system to provide the offer to the user. Alternatively, the POIalert application can provide the identity of the proximate POI to asecond application operating on the user device. The second applicationcan provide a suitable offer to the user on a user interface associatedwith the second application, on the POI alert application, or in anysuitable manner. In an alternate embodiment, the offers associated withthe POI may be transmitted to the POI alert application at any time andstored in any location on the user device.

In an example embodiment, the POI alert application can provide a ticketor other prepaid pass to the user. For example, when the user approachesa POI, such as a movie theater or an airport, the POI alert applicationcan provide the alert to the user along with the tickets or other pass.The ticket can be displayed on the user interface of the user computingdevice and a barcode or other ticket identifier can be displayed forviewing or scanning. In another example, the ticket can be transmittedto a merchant system wirelessly from the user computing device. Inanother example, the POI information can be a boarding pass at anairport, a subway pass, or any other suitable pass.

In another example, the POI alert application can provide loyaltyaccount information to the user. For example, the POI alert applicationcan alert the user when approaching a POI. The POI alert application canprovide an update of the loyalty status of the user account, a number ofloyalty point accrued, an offer associated with the loyalty account, orany other suitable loyalty information.

In an example embodiment, an alert schedule can be configured. The alertschedule can be configured by the POI alert application, an offerapplication, the POI location system, the user, or any suitable party.The POI alert application provides a configured alert to the user uponapproaching a POI for the first time and revises the alert forsubsequent approaches to the POI. For example, if a user approaches aPOI associated with an offer for the first time, the POI alertapplication may provide an audible alert, a vibration alert, and displaya visual notification of the alarm on a user interface of the userdevice. The POI may be a location next to the home or office of the userand the user may pass the POI many times during a day. The user mayprefer not to receive many alerts associated with the same offer. Thus,the second time that the user approaches a POI, then the POI alertapplication may provide only a visual notification of the offer and notprovide the audible and vibration alerts. The third time a userapproaches a POI, the POI alert application may not provide anynotification to the user.

Any variation of subsequent notifications may be utilized. For example,a certain offer may be configured to increase in notification intensitywith each approach of the user, such as an audible alert that increasesin volume with each approach of the user to the POI. In another example,the may provide a different alert with each approach of the user, suchas a rotation between a vibration, audible alarm, and visualnotification. In another example, the notification configuration may bereset after a period of time has elapsed. That is, if a configuredamount of time has elapsed since the first approach of the user to thePOI, then the process will reset and the original alert will be employedthe next time the user approaches the POI.

In an example, a user has an offer for a coupon on an item at a coffeeshop that is next to the home of the user. When the user leaves home inthe morning, the POI alert application recognizes that the user isapproaching a POI and provides an audible alert and a visualnotification of an offer associated with the coffee shop. When the userarrives home in the evening and passes the coffee shop, the POI alertapplication recognizes based on a review of provided alerts stored onthe user device or elsewhere, that the offer was provided to the userearlier that day. Thus, based on the configuration of the offer, the POIalert application provides only a vibration alert and a visualnotification of the offer. The user leaves home for dinner and passesthe coffee shop on the way out and then again upon returning home. ThePOI alert application recognizes that the offer has been presentedmultiple times that day, and does not provide the offer again. In theexample, when the user passes the coffee shop the next morning whenleaving home, the POI alert application determines how long has elapsedsince the first alarm the previous day. If a greater amount of time haselapsed than the configured time, then the POI alert application resetsthe alert schedule for the offer. When the user approaches the coffeeshop, the POI alert application can provide an audible alert and avisual alert. Subsequent alerts can follow the configured schedule.

In certain examples, the alert schedule can reset on any schedule. Forexample, the alert schedule can reset after 12 hours, 2 days, 1 week, orany configured time period. In one example, the time period is based ona time period from the first scheduled alert. In another example, thetime period is based on the time since the last approach to the POI.That is, the alert schedule will not reset until the user has notapproached the POI for the configured time period. In another example,the alert schedule can reset after a certain number of alerts, such as3, 5, 10, or any suitable number of alerts. Any other configuration ofthe alert schedule can be utilized.

In an example embodiment, the POI alert application can use the hours ofoperation of a POI to adjust the alert schedule. For example, the POIalert application or the POI location system 160 can determine the hoursof operation of a business, such as by locating the information on awebpage of the POI, and associate the hours of operation with the POI ina database. The POI alert application can be configured to provide analert associated with the POI only at a time when the POI is open forbusiness. In another example, the POI location system can determine thetype of business with which the POI can be categorized. For example, thePOI location system can determine the type of business based on a reviewof the website of a POI, a merchant category code received from atransaction, or in any suitable manner. If the POI location system isunable to determine the exact hours of operation of the business, thenthe POI location system can configure an estimate of the hours ofoperation based on the type of business of the POI. For example, the POIlocation system can estimate that a museum would be open from 8 AM to 8PM each day. The POI location system can estimate that a night clubwould be open from 5 PM to 2 AM each day. Any other method of estimatingthe hours of operation of a business can be employed.

In another example, the alert schedule can be configured to provideoffers to a user that are relevant to the time of day of the offer. Forexample, the POI location system can determine that an offer for adiscount on a breakfast item should only be presented to the user in themorning. In another example, the POI location system can determine thatan offer for a discount for that is only valid after a time, such as 5PM, will only be presented at a time after the time when the offerbecomes valid.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system can monitor coupons,sales, rebates, and other offers associated with a POI of the user andidentify any changes or other revisions to the offers. If the POIlocation system identifies a revision to an offer, the POI locationsystem can determine if the revised offer is in the current POI zone ofthe user. If the offer that has changed is in the current POI zone ofthe user, then the POI location system can provide the revised offer tothe POI alert application.

For example, the user receives from the POI location system a new POIzone and any offers associated with the POIs located in the POI zone.The POI location system is then notified of a revision or other changeto an offer. The revision may be an expiration of a coupon, a newlycreated offer, a change of terms on an offer, or any suitable revision.The notification of the revision may be provided to the POI locationsystem by an offer creator, an offer managing system, a merchant system,a payment processing system, or any suitable system or offer provider.Additionally or alternatively, the offer may be revised by the POIlocation system or a system related to the POI location system.

In the example, the POI location system provides the offers to the POIalert application on the user device that are associated with POIs inthe current POI zone. In alternate embodiments, the POI location systemonly provides the offer to the POI alert application at the time thatthe user device is in a configured proximity to the POI. The POIlocation system determines that the revised offer has been provided tothe POI alert application on the user device by comparing the revisedoffer to a list of offers that were provided to the user device and thecurrent location of the user device. The POI location system providesthe revised offer to the POI alert application. If the offer iscurrently being presented to the user on a user interface, then the POIalert application may alert the user to the revised offer. If the POIalert application has stored the offer but not presented it to the useron a user interface, then the POI alert application receives the revisedoffer and either updates or replaces the previous, unrevised offer. At atime that the user device approaches the POI, the POI alert applicationpresents the revised offer to the user on a user interface.

Example System Architectures

Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like (butnot necessarily identical) elements throughout the figures, exampleembodiments are described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for selecting backinginstruments, in accordance with certain example embodiments. As depictedin FIG. 1, the system 100 includes network devices 110, 150, and 160that are configured to communicate with one another via one or morenetworks 105.

Each network 105 includes a wired or wireless telecommunication means bywhich network devices (including devices 110, 150, and 160) can exchangedata. For example, each network 105 can include a local area network(“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), an intranet, an Internet, a mobiletelephone network, or any combination thereof. Throughout the discussionof example embodiments, it should be understood that the terms “data”and “information” are used interchangeably herein to refer to text,images, audio, video, or any other form of information that can exist ina computer-based environment.

Each network device 110, 150, and 160 includes a device having acommunication module capable of transmitting and receiving data over thenetwork 105. For example, each network device 110, 150, and 160 caninclude a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, atelevision with one or more processors embedded therein and/or coupledthereto, smart phone, handheld computer, personal digital assistant(“PDA”), or any other wired or wireless, processor-driven device. In theexample embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the network devices 110, 150, and160 are operated by end-users or consumers, offer provider systemoperators, and POI location system operators, respectively.

The user 101 can use the communication application 117, which may be,for example, a web browser application or a stand-alone application, toview, download, upload, or otherwise access documents or web pages via adistributed network 105. The network 105 includes a wired or wirelesstelecommunication system or device by which network devices (includingdevices 110, 150, and 160) can exchange data. For example, the network105 can include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network(“WAN”), an intranet, an Internet, storage area network (SAN), personalarea network (PAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wireless localarea network (WLAN), a virtual private network (VPN), a cellular orother mobile communication network, Bluetooth, NFC, or any combinationthereof or any other appropriate architecture or system that facilitatesthe communication of signals, data, and/or messages.

The user device 110 may employ a communication module 117 to communicatewith the web server 161 of the POI location system 160 or other servers.The communication module 117 may allow devices to communicate viatechnologies other than the network 105. Examples might include acellular network, radio network, or other communication network. Thecommunication application 117 can interact with web servers or othercomputing devices connected to the network 105, including the POI server161 of the POI location system 160, and the web server 151 of offerprovider system 150.

The user computing device 110 may include a digital wallet applicationmodule 111. The digital wallet application module 111 may encompass anyapplication, hardware, software, or process the user device 110 mayemploy to assist the user 101 in completing a purchase. The digitalwallet application module 111 can interact with the communicationapplication 117 or can be embodied as a companion application of thecommunication application 117. As a companion application, the digitalwallet application module 111 executes within the communicationapplication 117. That is, the digital wallet application module 111 maybe an application program embedded in the communication application 117.

The user device 110 may include a digital wallet application module 111.The digital wallet application module 111 may encompass any application,hardware, software, or process the user device 110 may employ to assistthe device to complete a purchase transaction. The digital walletapplication module 111 can interact with the communication application117 or can be embodied as a companion application of the communicationapplication 117. As a companion application, the digital walletapplication module 111 executes within the communication application117. That is, the digital wallet application module 111 may be anapplication program embedded in the communication application 117.

The user device 110 may include a POI alert application 115. The POIalert application 115 can interact with the communication application117 or be embodied as a companion application of the communicationapplication 117 and execute within the communication application 117. Inan exemplary embodiment, the POI alert application 115 may further beembodied as a companion application of the digital wallet applicationmodule 111 and execute within the digital wallet application module 111.The POI alert application 115 may employ a software interface that mayopen in the digital wallet application 111 or may open in thecommunication application 117. The interface can allow the user 101 toconfigure the POI alert application 115 and the user account on theoffer provider system 150.

The POI alert application 115 can be used to send device location datato the POI location system 160 and receive a POI zone from the POIlocation system 160. The POI location system 160 that develops the POIzone can include a set of computer-readable program instructions, forexample, using JavaScript, that enable the POI location system 160 tointeract with the POI alert application 115.

Any of the functions described in the specification as being performedby the POI alert application 115 can be performed by the POI locationsystem 160, the user computing device 110, the location basedapplication 114, or any other suitable hardware or software system orapplication.

The user device 110 includes a data storage unit 113 accessible by thePOI alert application 115 and the web browser application 112. Theexemplary data storage unit 113 can include one or more tangiblecomputer-readable media. The data storage unit 113 can be stored on theuser device 110 or can be logically coupled to the user device 110. Forexample, the data storage unit 113 can include on-board flash memoryand/or one or more removable memory cards or removable flash memory.

The user device 110 may include a location based application 114 thatthe POI alert application 115 or the POI location system 160 may utilizeto access location data for the user device 110. Examples ofapplications that may utilize the location data, and thus may make itavailable to the POI location system 160 or POI alert application 115,may include, but would not be limited to, Global Positioning System(“GPS”) location technology or other location identifying technology ofthe user device, business finder applications, location based socialnetworks, location based gaming, or friend locater. Additionally oralternately, the user device 110 may be capable of providing locationdata directly from the user device 110. The user device 110 may providethe location data to the POI alert application 115 or may be configuredto transmit the location data directly to the POI location system 160.

The POI location system 160 utilizes a POI location system server 161operating a POI monitoring application. The POI location system server161 operating the POI monitoring application may represent the computerimplemented system that the POI location system 160 employs to configureuser accounts, create and maintain user profiles, collect the locationdata, communicate with the offer provider system 150, develop proximatePOI maps and zones, and submit the data to the user 101. The POIlocation system website 163 may represent any web-based interface thatallows users to interact with the POI location system 160 to configurethe user accounts and change account settings. The POI location systemweb server 161 can communicate with one or more offer provider systems150, and a user device 110 via any available technologies. Thesetechnologies may include, but would not be limited to, an Internetconnection via the network 105, email, text, instant messaging, or othersuitable communication technologies. The POI location system 160 mayinclude a data storage unit 162 accessible by the server 161 of the POIlocation system 160. The data storage unit 162 can include one or moretangible computer-readable storage devices.

Any of the functions described in the specification as being performedby the POI location system 160 can be performed by the POI alertapplication 115, the user computing device 110, the location basedapplication 114, or any other suitable hardware or software system orapplication.

The offer provider system 150 utilizes an offer provider system webserver 151. The offer provider system web server 151 may represent thecomputer-implemented system that the offer provider system 150 employsto provide POI identities, locations, marketing information, anddescriptions to the POI location system 160. The offer provider system150 may represent any number of systems that may be polled by the POIlocation system 160 to gather POI information. For example, the offerprovider system 150 may be the marketing system of a productmanufacturer or a service provider. The offer provider system 150 may bea social network system of a user that can provide preferences andhistorical data of a user's activities. The offer provider system 150may be a coupon aggregator or provider. The offer provider system 150may be a mapping program. The offer provider system 150 may be any otherservice or system that may provide information that the POI locationsystem 160 can use to define a POI zone and prioritize the POIs.

The offer provider system 150 can communicate with a POI location system160 and user devices 110 via any available technologies. Thesetechnologies may include, but would not be limited to, an Internetconnection via the network 105, email, text, instant messaging, or othersuitable communication technologies. The offer provider system 150 mayinclude a data storage unit 152 accessible by the server 151 of theoffer provider system 150. The data storage unit 152 can include one ormore tangible computer-readable storage devices.

It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplaryand other means of establishing a communications link between thecomputers and devices can be used. Moreover, those having ordinary skillin the art having the benefit of the present disclosure will appreciatethat the user device 110, offer provider system 150, and POI locationsystem 160 illustrated in FIG. 1 can have any of several other suitablecomputer system configurations. For example, a user device 110 embodiedas a mobile phone or handheld computer may not include all thecomponents described above.

Example Processes

The example methods illustrated in FIG. 2-3 are described hereinafterwith respect to the components of the example operating environment 100.The example methods of FIG. 2-3 may also be performed with other systemsand in other environments.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method 200 for supplying a userdevice with proximate points of interest, in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in block 205, the point of interest(“POI”) location system 160 installs computer-readable programinstructions on the POI location system server 161 for interacting withthe POI alert application 115 on the user device 110. Additionally, thePOI location system 160 installs computer-readable program instructionson the POI location system server 161 for interacting with the offerprovider system 150. In an exemplary embodiment, these computer-readableprogram instructions may be implemented as an embedded script, such asJavaScript, in the POI location system server 161.

In block 210, the user 101 installs a POI alert application 115 on theuser device 110. In certain exemplary embodiments, the user 101 maynavigate to a website of a provider of the POI alert application 115 anddownload and install the POI alert application 115. The website thatprovides the POI alert application 115 may be the POI location systemwebsite 153. The POI alert application 115 may be embedded in a digitalwallet 112 on a user device 110. The user 101 may utilize a userinterface of the POI alert application 115 for configuration. The user101 may configure privacy settings provided by the POI alert application115.

Additionally, the user 101 may communicate with the computer-readableprogram instructions on the POI location system 160 to establish useridentification and account configuration. The communication with the POIlocation system 160 may be made via any available technology including,but not limited to, an Internet connection via the network 105, text,email, or a cellular connection. On the POI location system 160 and thePOI alert application 115, the user 101 may configure the categories ofPOIs that are monitored. The user 101 may additionally configure privacysettings provided by the POI location system 160.

The POI alert application 115 may additionally or alternativelycommunicate with the POI location system 160 to establish the format inwhich the POI data should be transmitted. For example, a POI alertapplication 115 that does not employ a map display feature may onlyrequire a listing of POIs. A POI alert application 115 may request anyother format or data that is available from the POI location system 160.

The user 101 may additionally configure the alerting mechanism of thePOI alert application 115. The POI alert application 115 may provide anaudible alert, a vibration, a visible alert, such as showing the POIdetails on the display of the user device, or any other configurablealerting procedure. The alert may additionally or alternatively beincorporated by any other application that could benefit from the POIalert.

In block 215, the user 101 initiates the POI alert application 115 byactuating a physical or virtual button, making a motion such as a “tap”or swipe with the user device 110, speaking a voice command, orperforming any other initiation process. The POI alert application 115transmits to the POI location system 160 the location of the user device110. In a certain embodiment, the POI alert application 115 isconfigured to operate at all times that the user device 110 isoperational. That is, the POI alert application 115 does not need to beinitiated to begin transmitting location information to the POI locationsystem 160.

The POI alert application 115 may be configured to access the locationdata directly from the user device 110. The user device 110 may have thecapability, through computer hardware or software, or a combinationthereof, to determine the geographic coordinates of the location of theuser device 110. For example, the POI alert application can gather thelocation of the user from any location identifying technology availableto the user device. For example, the user device can use the Wi-Fitransmissions in a given location to identify the location of the userdevice. Additionally or alternatively, the POI alert application canutilize the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) to determine its location.

Additionally or alternatively, the user device 110 may include alocation based application 114 that the POI alert application 115 or thePOI location system 160 may utilize to access location data for the userdevice 110. Examples of applications that may utilize the location data,and thus may make it available to the POI location system 160, mayinclude, but would not be limited to, business finder applications,location based social networks, location based gaming, or friend locaterapplications. The POI alert application 115 can request and receive alocation from the location based application 114. The location basedapplication 114 can use any of the location technologies discussedherein to determine the location of the user device 110.

In block 220, the POI location system 160 gathers POI location data andtransmits the location data to the user device 110. The details of thisstep will be discussed in further detail in method 220 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method 220 for generating andtransmitting POIs to a user device, in accordance with certain exemplaryembodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in block 305 of method 220, the POIlocation system 160 establishes and maintains current marketing andlocation data of POIs that relate to a user 101. The POI data may bemaintained on a database on the POI location system server 161 or anystorage location available to the POI location system 160. The POI datamay be anything that would be of interest to the user. The category ofPOI data accessed might be user configured or may be selected by the POIlocation system server 161 based on the prior activities, interests, orsuggestions of the user 101. Examples of POIs that may be identified bythe server 161 for transmitting to the user device 110 might include,but would not be limited to, restaurants, stores or other businessesfrequented by the user 101, businesses currently offering a sale orpromotion, businesses currently offering an electronic coupon, touristattractions, museums, friends identified by their devices, or any otheridentifiable entity in which the user 101 may be interested. A list ofPOIs associated with the user 101 may be maintained on a database on thePOI location system server 161 or any storage location available to thePOI location system 160.

The POI location system 160 may access POI data from any system that maybe polled by the POI location system 160 to gather POI information. Forexample, the POI data may be gathered from an offer provider system 150.An offer provider system 150 may be the marketing system of a productmanufacturer or a service provider. The offer provider system 150 may bea social network system of a user that can provide preferences andhistorical data of a user's activities, a coupon aggregator or provider,a mapping system, digital phone book, or any other service or systemthat may provide information that the POI location system 160 can use todefine a POI zone and prioritize the POIs.

In block 310, the POI location system 160 receives the location of theuser device 110. The POI location system 160 stores the location of theuser device 110 in the user account on the POI location system server161 or in another suitable storage location. The POI location system 160can interpret the location data provided by the user device 110. Forexample, if the location is provided as a street address orintersection, the POI location system 160 can convert the street addressinto a latitude and longitude location or other geo-location format. Inanother example, the POI location system 160 can convert a latitude andlongitude location into a street address, plot the latitude andlongitude on a map, or use the data in any suitable manner.

In block 315, the POI location system 160 identifies POIs in thevicinity of the location of the user device 110. The POI location system160 may access the database maintained for the account of the user 101and identify possible POIs. For example, the POI location system 160 candetermine the distance of each possible POI from the location of theuser 101. The POI location system 160 can determine the distance fromthe location of the user device 110 in a straight line or by followingthe shortest route over publicly accessible roads.

In block 320, the POI location system 160 uses the density or quality ofthe POI information to establish the size of the POI zone to transmit tothe user device 110. The POI location system 160 may limit the size ofthe POI zone to prevent any adverse effects caused by transmitting aquantity of data that is too large for the user device 110 and thesystem to operate efficiently. For example, if the amount of POI datatransmitted is too large, the data may require enough capacity on thedata storage unit 113 of the user device 110 to affect the normaloperation of the user device 110. Alternatively, if the size of the POIzone is too small then the POI location system 160 may be forced totransmit a new zone of POIs to the user device 110 too frequently to bepractical. For example, if the POI zone data were transmitted toofrequently, it might consume the battery life of the user device 110.

The size of the POI zone around the current location of the user device110 can be determined based on the density or quality of the POIinformation. In an exemplary embodiment, the size of the POI zone may beestablished to encompass a configured number of POIs in the proximity ofthe user device 110. For example, the size of the POI zone can beconfigured to encompass a specified number of POIs, such as 50, that areclosest to the user device 110 or that provide the highest priority POIsaround the user device 110. Thus, in an area of high concentration ofavailable POIs, the POI zone may be relatively small to capture thespecified number of POIs. Alternatively, in an area of lowerconcentration of available POIs, the POI zone may be relatively large tocapture the specified number of POIs. Additionally, the size of the POIzone can take any suitable shape to encompass the specified POIs.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system 160 can alter theshape of the POI zone based on the situation of the user 101 and theuser device 110. For example, the POI location system 160 can recognizehow fast the user device 110 is moving. The POI location system 160 candetermine the speed of the user 101 by monitoring the change in locationof the user device 110 over a period of time. In an example, the POIlocation system 160 can categorize the speed of the user 101 into a setof categories. The user 101 may be determined to be moving at a walkingspeed, biking speed, low driving speed, high driving speed, or notmoving.

The size and shape of the zone may be altered based on the velocity ofthe user 101. For example, if a user 101 is driving in an automobile onan interstate, the situation of the user 101 is placed in the highdriving speed category. The POI zone for a user 101 in a high drivingspeed category can be adjusted to better predict POIs for which the user101 may be more interested. For example, the user 101 may be more likelyto visit a POI that is in the direction of travel than a POI behind thedirection of travel. Additionally, the user 101 may be more likely tovisit a POI that is further ahead in the direction of travel than a POIthat is closer to the user 101, but not in the direction of travel. Thatis, the user 101 may plan the next stop further in advance whentraveling at a high rate of speed than when walking.

Thus, an example POI zone for a user 101 traveling at a high drivingspeed might be bigger in the direction of travel than behind thedirection of travel. Further, the entire POI zone may be bigger furtheralong in the direction of travel and smaller close to the user 101.

In another example, the POI location system 160 can determine the roadthat a user 101 is traveling on and restrict the POI zone to POIs withina configured distance from the road. For example, the POI locationsystem 160 can receive a series of locations of the user device andcompare the locations to a map of interstates, highways, and othersuitable roads. If the POI location system 160 determines based on thecomparison that a user 101 is traveling on a particular interstate, thenthe POI location system 160 can restrict the POI zone to areas within aconfigured distance from the particular interstate. The shape of the POIzone can be altered to follow the direction of the particularinterstate. That is, the POI zone can follow the turns and changes ofdirection of the particular interstate on which the user 101 istravelling.

In another example, the user 101 may be categorized as walking. That is,based on the locations received by the POI location system 160 over aperiod of time, the POI location system 160 determines a velocity oftravel and determines that the user speed matches the characteristics ofa user 101 that is walking. The POI zone may be adjusted accordingly.For example, the POI zone may be larger in the direction of travel thanbehind the direction of travel. In the example, the width of the POIzone in the direction of travel may be closer to the width of the POIzone behind the direction of travel as compared to a user 101 travelingat a high driving speed. That is, the zone may be rounder than a zonefor a user 101 traveling at a high driving speed. As a user 101 that iswalking can more easily reverse directions than a user 101 traveling ata high driving speed, the POI location system 160 can determine thatPOIs behind the user 101 may be nearly as relevant to a user 101 as POIsin the direction of travel.

The POI location system 160 may additionally prioritize the POI data.Based on input of the user 101 or an analysis of historical data, suchas purchasing history or website usage of the user 101, the POI locationsystem 160 may provide a ranked list of the POIs to the user device 110.For example, the POI location system 160 may be able to determine that auser 101 prefers a certain store or restaurant and rank it higher thanan alternative restaurant even if the alternative restaurant is closerto the user 101 location. Thus, if the user 101 limits the number of POIalerts in a given zone, a lower ranked POI may be ignored in favor of anearby, higher ranked POI.

Another example of a prioritizing factor might be the value or quantityof coupons or offers being marketed by a POI. For example, the POI alertapplication 115 may not alert a user 101 to a nearby POI if a betterpromotion is being offered by a neighboring business.

The ranked POI list may be used by the POI alert application 115 todetermine when or how to alert the user to the proximity of a particularPOI. For example, the POI alert application 115 may display all POIs ona map of the zone, but only alert the user 101 when they are approachingone of the top ten ranked POIs.

Another example of a prioritizing factor might be the value or quantityof coupons or offers being marketed by a POI. For example, the POI alertapplication 115 may not alert a user 101 to a nearby POI if a betterpromotion is being offered by a neighboring business.

In another example, the POI alert application 115 may provide the POIdata on a map and highlight higher ranked POIs. The higher ranked POIsmay have a larger icon or logo, be in a different color than lowerranked POIs, or in any other manner be highlighted on the map.

If displaying the information on a map view, the POI alert application115 may expand or collapse the data displayed to the user depending onthe density of the data. For example, if a large number of POIs arelocated in a localized area, the POI alert application 115 may groupPOIs together and show the grouping in a single icon or notation. Anexample of this may be a shopping complex that contains a quantity ofPOIs too great to display on a user device. The display may show ashopping complex notation and list the number of POIs contained at thatlocation or any other manner of representing the group of POIs. As theuser 101 approaches the dense POI, the grouped POI may expand to showthe individual POIs in that area. For example, if the user 101 isbetween two shopping malls or between two cities, a single POI may beprovided for each mall or each city, respectively. Then, as the userapproaches one of the malls or one of the cities, the collapsed POI forthat mall or city expands to show all POIs (or a specified number ofPOIs) at that location.

In an example embodiment, the POI alert application 115 can provide aticket or other prepaid pass to the user 101. For example, when the user101 approaches a POI, such as a movie theater or an airport, the POIalert application 115 can provide the alert to the user 101 along withthe tickets or other pass. The ticket can be displayed on the userinterface of the user computing device 110 and a barcode or other ticketidentifier can be displayed for viewing or scanning. In another example,the ticket can be transmitted to a merchant system 130 wirelessly fromthe user computing device 110. In another example, the POI informationcan be a boarding pass at an airport, a subway pass, or any othersuitable pass.

In another example, the POI alert application 115 can provide loyaltyaccount information to the user 101. For example, the POI alertapplication 115 can alert the user 101 when approaching a POI. The POIalert application 115 can provide an update of the loyalty status of theuser account, a number of loyalty point accrued, an offer associatedwith the loyalty account, or any other suitable loyalty information.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the POI location system 160 appliesthe extracted data to a machine learning algorithm or anotherstatistical model to determine the most effective ranking system. Forexample, a machine learning algorithm can be performed on the POIsgenerated for one or more users to learn the ranking system thatproduces results having the highest usage rates. The machine learningalgorithm can be updated periodically.

In block 325, the POI location system 160 transmits the POI zonedimensions, the POI identities and locations, and any associated POImarketing information or offers to the POI alert application 115. ThePOI location system 160 may additionally transmit the priority rankingof each of the POIs for use by the POI alert application 115.

From block 325, the method 220 proceeds to block 225 with reference toFIG. 2.

In block 225, the user device 110 incorporates the POI data into theuser interface of the POI alert application 115. The POI alertapplication 115 may display the information on a map or other grid viathe user interface of the POI alert application. Additionally oralternatively, the POI alert application 115 may display the informationto the user in any other format that can convey the information, such asa simple listing of each POI and the distance away from the user thateach POI is located. The POI alert application 115 may further provide aroute to a POI upon request from the user. The user 101 may elect tooperate the POI alert application 115 in the foreground of the host CPU116 operating system and provide substantially instant alerts as theuser 101 moves through the POI zone. The POI alert application 115 mayalternatively operate in the background of the operating system andstore the POI alerts for later access by the user 101.

In block 230, the POI alert application 115 monitors the location of theuser device 110 as it moves through the POI zone. The POI alertapplication 115 compares the location of the user device 110 to knownPOIs identified on the most recent POI zone. The POI alert application115 continually or intermittently determines if the user device iswithin a configured distance from a POI.

In block 235, the POI alert application 115 determines if a POI is beingapproached. For example, if a user 101 is walking through a shoppingdistrict with the user device 110 and comes within a specified distanceof a POI, such as one block, the POI alert application 115 recognizesthe approached POI. If a POI is being approached, the method 200 followsthe “YES” branch of block 235 to block 237. If no POI is beingapproached, the method 200 follows the “NO” branch of block 235 to 230.

Following the “NO” branch of block 235 to block 230, the POI alertapplication 115 continues to monitor the location of the user device 110as previously described.

Following the “YES” branch of block 235 to block 237, a POI alert istriggered when the user device 110 moves within a configured range of aPOI. In exemplary embodiments, the POI alert application 115 may use thealert internally or may provide an audible alert, a vibration, a visiblealert, such as showing the POI details on the display of the userdevice, an e-mail, or any other configurable alerting procedure.

The POI location system 160 may perform any alert function configured bythe user 101 or store the alert for later use. The POI location system160 may send an alert to the POI alert application 115 or to anotherlocation or application. For example, the POI location system 160 maysend an email, push notification, text message, or another communicationto the user.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system 160 provides couponsor other offers to the POI alert application 115 when the user deviceapproaches a POI. For example, when the POI alert application 115determines that the user device 110 is within a configured distance froma POI, the POI alert application 115 can notify the POI location system160, another application operating on the user device 110, or anysuitable system. The POI alert application 115, the POI location system160, or another system, can provide to the user 101 an offer associatedwith the POI.

For example, the POI alert application 115 can recognize that thelocation of the user device 110 is within a configured proximity of aPOI and access an offer associated with the POI that has been providedby the POI location system 160. The offer may have been provided at thetime of the transmitting of the POI zone and the POI information.Alternatively, the POI alert application 115 can contact the POIlocation system 160, provide the identity of a proximate POI, andrequest any offers associated with the POI. The POI location system 160can provide the offer or prompt a third party system to provide theoffer to the user. Alternatively, the POI alert application 115 canprovide the identity of the proximate POI to a second applicationoperating on the user device 110. The second application can provide asuitable offer to the user 101 on a user interface associated with thesecond application, on the POI alert application 115, or in any suitablemanner. In an alternate embodiment, the offers associated with the POImay be transmitted to the POI alert application 115 at any time andstored in any location on the user device 110.

In an example embodiment, an alert schedule can be. The alert schedulecan be configured by the POI alert application 115, an offerapplication, the POI location system 160, the user 101, or any suitableparty. The POI alert application 115 provides a configured alert to theuser 101 upon approaching a POI for the first time and revises the alertfor subsequent approaches to the POI. For example, if a user 101approaches a POI associated with an offer for the first time, the POIalert application 115 may provide an audible alert, a vibration alert,and display a visual notification of the alarm on a user interface ofthe user device 110. The POI may be a location next to the home oroffice of the user 101 and the user 101 may pass the POI many timesduring a day. The user 101 may prefer not to receive many alertsassociated with the same offer. Thus, the second time that the user 101approaches a POI, then the POI alert application 115 may provide only avisual notification of the offer and not provide the audible andvibration alerts. The third time a user 101 approaches a POI, the POIalert application 115 may not provide any notification to the user 101.

Any variation of subsequent notifications may be utilized. For example,a certain offer may be configured to increase in notification intensitywith each approach of the user 101, such as an audible alert thatincreases in volume with each approach of the user 101 to the POI. Inanother example, the may provide a different alert with each approach ofthe user 101, such as a rotation between a vibration, audible alarm, andvisual notification. In another example, the notification configurationmay be reset after a period of time has elapsed. That is, if aconfigured amount of time has elapsed since the first approach of theuser to the POI, then the process will reset and the original alert willbe employed the next time the user 101 approaches the POI.

In an example, a user 101 has an offer for a coupon on an item at acoffee shop that is next to the home of the user 101. When the user 101leaves home in the morning, the POI alert application 115 recognizesthat the user 101 is approaching a POI and provides an audible alert anda visual notification of an offer associated with the coffee shop. Whenthe user 101 arrives home in the evening and passes the coffee shop, thePOI alert application 115 recognizes based on a review of providedalerts stored on the user device 110 or elsewhere, that the offer wasprovided to the user 101 earlier that day. Thus, based on theconfiguration of the offer, the POI alert application 115 provides onlya vibration alert and a visual notification of the offer. The user 101leaves home for dinner and passes the coffee shop on the way out andthen again upon returning home. The POI alert application 115 recognizesthat the offer has been presented multiple times that day, and does notprovide the offer again. In the example, when the user 101 passes thecoffee shop the next morning when leaving home, the POI alertapplication 115 determines how long has elapsed since the first alarmthe previous day. If a greater amount of time has elapsed than theconfigured time, then the POI alert application 115 resets the alertschedule for the offer. When the user approaches the coffee shop, thePOI alert application 115 can provide an audible alert and a visualalert. Subsequent alerts can follow the configured schedule.

In certain examples, the alert schedule can reset on any schedule. Forexample, the alert schedule can reset after 12 hours, 2 days, 1 week, orany configured time period. In one example, the time period is based ona time period from the first scheduled alert. In another example, thetime period is based on the time since the last approach to the POI.That is, the alert schedule may not reset until the user has notapproached the POI for the configured time period. In another example,the alert schedule can reset after a certain number of alerts, such as3, 5, 10, or any suitable number of alerts. Any other configuration ofthe alert schedule can be utilized.

In an example embodiment, the POI alert application 115 can use thehours of operation of a POI to adjust the alert schedule. For example,the POI alert application 115 or the POI location system 160 candetermine the hours of operation of a business, such as by locating theinformation on a webpage of the POI, and associate the hours ofoperation with the POI in a database. The POI alert application 115 canbe configured to provide an alert associated with the POI only at a timewhen the POI is open for business. In another example, the POI locationsystem 160 can determine the type of business with which the POI can becategorized. For example, the POI location system 160 can determine thetype of business based on a review of the website of a POI, a merchantcategory code received from a transaction, or in any suitable manner. Ifthe POI location system 160 is unable to determine the exact hours ofoperation of the business, then the POI location system 160 canconfigure an estimate of the hours of operation based on the type ofbusiness of the POI. For example, the POI location system 160 canestimate that a museum would be open from 8 AM to 8 PM each day. The POIlocation system 160 can estimate that a night club would be open from 5PM to 2 AM each day. Any other method of estimating the hours ofoperation of a business can be employed.

In another example, the alert schedule can be configured to provideoffers to a user 101 that are relevant to the time of day of the offer.For example, the POI location system 160 can determine that an offer fora discount on a breakfast item should only be presented to the user inthe morning. In another example, the POI location system 160 candetermine that an offer for a discount for that is only valid after atime, such as 5 PM, will only be presented at a time after the time whenthe offer becomes valid.

In an example embodiment, the POI location system 160 can monitorcoupons, sales, rebates, and other offers associated with a POI of theuser and identify any changes or other revisions to the offers. If thePOI location system 160 identifies a revision to an offer, the POIlocation system 160 can determine if the revised offer is in the currentPOI zone of the user. If the offer that has changed is in the currentPOI zone of the user, then the POI location system 160 can provide therevised offer to the POI alert application 115.

For example, the user receives from the POI location system 160 a newPOI zone and any offers associated with the POIs located in the POIzone. The POI location system 160 is then notified of a revision orother change to an offer. The revision may be an expiration of a coupon,a newly created offer, a change of terms on an offer, or any suitablerevision. The notification of the revision may be provided to the POIlocation system 160 by an offer creator, an offer managing system, amerchant system, a payment processing system, or any suitable system oroffer provider. Additionally or alternatively, the offer may be revisedby the POI location system 160 or a system related to the POI locationsystem 160.

In the example, the POI location system 160 provides the offers to thePOI alert application 115 on the user device that are associated withPOIs in the current POI zone. In alternate embodiments, the POI locationsystem 160 only provides the offer to the POI alert application 115 atthe time that the user device is in a configured proximity to the POI.The POI location system 160 determines that the revised offer has beenprovided to the POI alert application 115 on the user device bycomparing the revised offer to a list of offers that were provided tothe user device and the current location of the user device. The POIlocation system 160 provides the revised offer to the POI alertapplication 115. If the offer is currently being presented to the useron a user interface, then the POI alert application 115 may alert theuser to the revised offer. If the POI alert application 115 has storedthe offer but not presented it to the user on a user interface, then thePOI alert application 115 receives the revised offer and either updatesor replaces the previous, unrevised offer. At a time that the userdevice approaches the POI, the POI alert application 115 presents therevised offer to the user on a user interface.

In an alternate embodiment, the POI alert application 115 may alert thePOI location system 160 that the device is approaching a POI. The POIlocation system 160 may perform any alert function configured by theuser or store the alert for later use. The POI location system 160 maysend an alert to the POI alert application 115 or to another location.For example, the POI location system 160 may send an email, pushnotification, text message, or another communication to the user.

In an alternative embodiment, the POI alert application 115 may beconfigured to alert the user 101 of only the higher priority POIs. Asdiscussed in the details of method 220 of FIG. 3, the POI data may beprioritized by the POI location system 160. The POI alert application115 may use the priority of the POI data to determine which POIs willtrigger an alert to the user 101. For example, the user 101 may desireto limit the alerts to the 10 highest priority POIs in a given zone.Alternatively, the user 101 may configure the POI alert application 115to alert the user 101 to every POI in the zone.

In block 240, if the user device 110 approaches a configured distancefrom the boundary of the POI zone, the method 200 follows the “YES”branch of block 240 to block 220. If the user device 110 has notapproached a configured boundary of the POI zone, the method 200 followsthe “NO” branch of block 240 to block 245. In an alternate embodiment ofthe application, the POI alert application 115 may require the userdevice 110 to completely exit the boundaries of the POI zone to followthe “YES” branch of block 240.

Following the “YES” branch of block 240 to block 220, the methodrequests and receives a refreshed POI zone. As the user device 110 hasleft the boundaries of the previous POI zone, the POI alert application115 will have no POI data to display to the user 101 or monitor foralerts. A new POI zone with a new list of POIs is transmitted to theuser device 110.

Following the “NO” branch of block 240 to block 245, the user device 110determines if the user device 110 has received a new POI zone in aconfigured amount of time. For instance, if a user device 110 hasremained in one location for a configured time or has not encounteredany POIs for a configured time, the method 200 will determine that theuser device 110 is idle and follow the “YES” branch of block 245 toblock 220. A new POI zone with a new list of POIs is transmitted to theuser device 110. The idle time required to trigger the “YES” branch ofblock 245 is configurable by the user 101 or the POI alert application115. For example, the idle time required might be one hour, one day, oneweek, or any other time that is reasonable based upon the activities ofthe user 101.

If the device has not remained idle and has received a new POI zonewithin the configured time, the method 200 follows the “NO” branch ofblock 245 to block 230. The device will continue monitoring the locationof the user device 110.

The method 200 continues until the user 101 deactivates the POI alertapplication 115 or the user device is shut down.

Example Systems

FIG. 4 depicts a computing machine 2000 and a module 2050 in accordancewith certain example embodiments. The computing machine 2000 maycorrespond to any of the various computers, servers, mobile devices,embedded systems, or computing systems presented herein. The module 2050may comprise one or more hardware or software elements configured tofacilitate the computing machine 2000 in performing the various methodsand processing functions presented herein. The computing machine 2000may include various internal or attached components such as a processor2010, system bus 2020, system memory 2030, storage media 2040,input/output interface 2060, and a network interface 2070 forcommunicating with a network 2080.

The computing machine 2000 may be implemented as a conventional computersystem, an embedded controller, a laptop, a server, a mobile device, asmartphone, a set-top box, a kiosk, a vehicular information system, onemore processors associated with a television, a customized machine, anyother hardware platform, or any combination or multiplicity thereof. Thecomputing machine 2000 may be a distributed system configured tofunction using multiple computing machines interconnected via a datanetwork or bus system.

The processor 2010 may be configured to execute code or instructions toperform the operations and functionality described herein, managerequest flow and address mappings, and to perform calculations andgenerate commands. The processor 2010 may be configured to monitor andcontrol the operation of the components in the computing machine 2000.The processor 2010 may be a general purpose processor, a processor core,a multiprocessor, a reconfigurable processor, a microcontroller, adigital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specific integratedcircuit (“ASIC”), a graphics processing unit (“GPU”), a fieldprogrammable gate array (“FPGA”), a programmable logic device (“PLD”), acontroller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components,any other processing unit, or any combination or multiplicity thereof.The processor 2010 may be a single processing unit, multiple processingunits, a single processing core, multiple processing cores, specialpurpose processing cores, co-processors, or any combination thereof.According to certain embodiments, the processor 2010 along with othercomponents of the computing machine 2000 may be a virtualized computingmachine executing within one or more other computing machines.

The system memory 2030 may include non-volatile memories such asread-only memory (“ROM”), programmable read-only memory (“PROM”),erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), flash memory, or anyother device capable of storing program instructions or data with orwithout applied power. The system memory 2030 may also include volatilememories such as random access memory (“RAM”), static random accessmemory (“SRAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), synchronousdynamic random access memory (“SDRAM”). Other types of RAM also may beused to implement the system memory 2030. The system memory 2030 may beimplemented using a single memory module or multiple memory modules.While the system memory 2030 is depicted as being part of the computingmachine 2000, one skilled in the art will recognize that the systemmemory 2030 may be separate from the computing machine 2000 withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject technology. It should also beappreciated that the system memory 2030 may include, or operate inconjunction with, a non-volatile storage device such as the storagemedia 2040.

The storage media 2040 may include a hard disk, a floppy disk, a compactdisc read only memory (“CD-ROM”), a digital versatile disc (“DVD”), aBlu-ray disc, a magnetic tape, a flash memory, other non-volatile memorydevice, a solid sate drive (“SSD”), any magnetic storage device, anyoptical storage device, any electrical storage device, any semiconductorstorage device, any physical-based storage device, any other datastorage device, or any combination or multiplicity thereof. The storagemedia 2040 may store one or more operating systems, application programsand program modules such as module 2050, data, or any other information.The storage media 2040 may be part of, or connected to, the computingmachine 2000. The storage media 2040 may also be part of one or moreother computing machines that are in communication with the computingmachine 2000 such as servers, database servers, cloud storage, networkattached storage, and so forth.

The module 2050 may comprise one or more hardware or software elementsconfigured to facilitate the computing machine 2000 with performing thevarious methods and processing functions presented herein. The module2050 may include one or more sequences of instructions stored assoftware or firmware in association with the system memory 2030, thestorage media 2040, or both. The storage media 2040 may thereforerepresent examples of machine or computer readable media on whichinstructions or code may be stored for execution by the processor 2010.Machine or computer readable media may generally refer to any medium ormedia used to provide instructions to the processor 2010. Such machineor computer readable media associated with the module 2050 may comprisea computer software product. It should be appreciated that a computersoftware product comprising the module 2050 may also be associated withone or more processes or methods for delivering the module 2050 to thecomputing machine 2000 via the network 2080, any signal-bearing medium,or any other communication or delivery technology. The module 2050 mayalso comprise hardware circuits or information for configuring hardwarecircuits such as microcode or configuration information for an FPGA orother PLD.

The input/output (“I/O”) interface 2060 may be configured to couple toone or more external devices, to receive data from the one or moreexternal devices, and to send data to the one or more external devices.Such external devices along with the various internal devices may alsobe known as peripheral devices. The I/O interface 2060 may include bothelectrical and physical connections for operably coupling the variousperipheral devices to the computing machine 2000 or the processor 2010.The I/O interface 2060 may be configured to communicate data, addresses,and control signals between the peripheral devices, the computingmachine 2000, or the processor 2010. The I/O interface 2060 may beconfigured to implement any standard interface, such as small computersystem interface (“SCSI”), serial-attached SCSI (“SAS”), fiber channel,peripheral component interconnect (“PCI”), PCI express (PCIe), serialbus, parallel bus, advanced technology attached (“ATA”), serial ATA(“SATA”), universal serial bus (“USB”), Thunderbolt, FireWire, variousvideo buses, and the like. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured toimplement only one interface or bus technology. Alternatively, the I/Ointerface 2060 may be configured to implement multiple interfaces or bustechnologies. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured as part of, allof, or to operate in conjunction with, the system bus 2020. The I/Ointerface 2060 may include one or more buffers for bufferingtransmissions between one or more external devices, internal devices,the computing machine 2000, or the processor 2010.

The I/O interface 2060 may couple the computing machine 2000 to variousinput devices including mice, touch-screens, scanners, biometricreaders, electronic digitizers, sensors, receivers, touchpads,trackballs, cameras, microphones, keyboards, any other pointing devices,or any combinations thereof. The I/O interface 2060 may couple thecomputing machine 2000 to various output devices including videodisplays, speakers, printers, projectors, tactile feedback devices,automation control, robotic components, actuators, motors, fans,solenoids, valves, pumps, transmitters, signal emitters, lights, and soforth.

The computing machine 2000 may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections through the network interface 2070 to one or moreother systems or computing machines across the network 2080. The network2080 may include wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN),intranets, the Internet, wireless access networks, wired networks,mobile networks, telephone networks, optical networks, or combinationsthereof. The network 2080 may be packet switched, circuit switched, ofany topology, and may use any communication protocol. Communicationlinks within the network 2080 may involve various digital or an analogcommunication media such as fiber optic cables, free-space optics,waveguides, electrical conductors, wireless links, antennas,radio-frequency communications, and so forth.

The processor 2010 may be connected to the other elements of thecomputing machine 2000 or the various peripherals discussed hereinthrough the system bus 2020. It should be appreciated that the systembus 2020 may be within the processor 2010, outside the processor 2010,or both. According to some embodiments, any of the processor 2010, theother elements of the computing machine 2000, or the various peripheralsdiscussed herein may be integrated into a single device such as a systemon chip (“SOC”), system on package (“SOP”), or ASIC device.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or may make use of personal information, theusers may be provided with a opportunity to control whether programs orfeatures collect user information (e.g., information about a user'ssocial network, social actions or activities, profession, a user'spreferences, or a user's current location), or to control whether and/orhow to receive content from the content server that may be more relevantto the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one or moreways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated sothat no personally identifiable information can be determined for theuser, or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a content server.

Embodiments may comprise a computer program that embodies the functionsdescribed and illustrated herein, wherein the computer program isimplemented in a computer system that comprises instructions stored in amachine-readable medium and a processor that executes the instructions.However, it should be apparent that there could be many different waysof implementing embodiments in computer programming, and the embodimentsshould not be construed as limited to any one set of computer programinstructions. Further, a skilled programmer would be able to write sucha computer program to implement an embodiment of the disclosedembodiments based on the appended flow charts and associated descriptionin the application text. Therefore, disclosure of a particular set ofprogram code instructions is not considered necessary for an adequateunderstanding of how to make and use embodiments. Further, those skilledin the art will appreciate that one or more aspects of embodimentsdescribed herein may be performed by hardware, software, or acombination thereof, as may be embodied in one or more computingsystems. Moreover, any reference to an act being performed by a computershould not be construed as being performed by a single computer as morethan one computer may perform the act.

The example embodiments described herein can be used with computerhardware and software that perform the methods and processing functionsdescribed previously. The systems, methods, and procedures describedherein can be embodied in a programmable computer, computer-executablesoftware, or digital circuitry. The software can be stored oncomputer-readable media. For example, computer-readable media caninclude a floppy disk, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removable media, flashmemory, memory stick, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROM, etc.Digital circuitry can include integrated circuits, gate arrays, buildingblock logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), etc.

The example systems, methods, and acts described in the embodimentspresented previously are illustrative, and, in alternative embodiments,certain acts can be performed in a different order, in parallel with oneanother, omitted entirely, and/or combined between different exampleembodiments, and/or certain additional acts can be performed, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of various embodiments. Accordingly,such alternative embodiments are included in the inventions claimedherein.

Although specific embodiments have been described above in detail, thedescription is merely for purposes of illustration. It should beappreciated, therefore, that many aspects described above are notintended as required or essential elements unless explicitly statedotherwise. Modifications of, and equivalent components or actscorresponding to, the disclosed aspects of the example embodiments, inaddition to those described above, can be made by a person of ordinaryskill in the art, having the benefit of the present disclosure, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of embodiments defined in thefollowing claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalentstructures.

1. A computer-implemented method for receiving server-controlled pointof interest zones on user computing devices, comprising: communicating,by a user computing device to a second computing device, a request forpoint of interest data corresponding to points of interest within aproximity of the user computing device, the request comprising locationdata associated with the user computing device; receiving, by the usercomputing device, the point of interest data from the second computingdevice, the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of apoint of interest identity, a point of interest location, and point ofinterest marketing data for each of a plurality of points of interest ina point of interest zone defined by the remote network device, whereinthe point of interest zone is determined at least in part based onproximities of the plurality of points of interest to the location dataassociated with the user computing device, and wherein a size of thepoint of interest zone is determined based at least in part on a densityof available points of interest in the proximity of the user computingdevice, and wherein the shape of the point of interest zone is expandedin a direction of travel associated with the user computing device andcontracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel associatedwith the user computing device, the direction of travel associated withthe user computing device being determined based at least in part on acomparison of changing locations associated with the user computingdevice; and presenting, by the user computing device, the received pointof interest data.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, by the user computing device, a speed of travel of the usercomputing device based at least in part on an analysis of the locationdata of the user computing device over a period of time; and adjusting,by the user computing device, the amount of contraction and expansion ofthe zone based at least in part on the speed of travel of the usercomputing device.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, by the user computing device, a road on which the usercomputing device is travelling based at least in part on the location ofthe user computing device and the direction of travel; and adjusting, bythe user computing device, the point of interest zone to based at leastin part on the route of the road.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thesize of the point of interest zone is relatively larger when the densityof the available points of interest in the proximity of the usercomputing device is higher, and the size of the point of interest zoneis relatively smaller when the density of the available points ofinterest in the proximity of the user computing device is lower.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the usercomputing device, a particular point of interest at such time as theuser computing device enters within a configured range of the particularpoint of interest; and outputting, by the user computing device, analert regarding the particular point of interest.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the user computing device comprises a mobile device.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the usercomputing device, whether the user computing device has exited the pointof interest zone based on updated location data for the user computingdevice; communicating, by the user computing device to the secondnetwork device and in response to a determination that the usercomputing device has exited the point of interest zone based on theupdated location data for the user computing device, an updated requestfor updated point of interest data corresponding to points of interestwithin a proximity of the user computing device, the updated requestcomprising the updated location data for the user computing device;receiving, by the user computing device, the updated point of interestdata from the second network device, the updated point of interest datacomprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a pointof interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of aplurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined bythe remote network device, wherein the point of interest zone isdisposed in the proximity of the user computing device based on thelocation data, and wherein a size of the point of interest zone isdetermined based on a density of available points of interest in theproximity of the user computing device, and wherein the shape of thepoint of interest zone is expanded in a direction of travel andcontracted in a direction opposite the direction of travel, thedirection of travel being determined by a comparison of changinglocations of the user computing device; and presenting, via the usercomputing device, the updated point of interest data.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the user computing device determines that the usercomputing device has exited the point of interest zone based on theupdated location data for the user computing device when the updatedlocation data indicates that the user computing device is not within aboundary of the point of interest zone.
 9. The method of claim 7,wherein the user computing device determines that the user computingdevice has exited the point of interest zone based on the updatedlocation data for the user computing device when the updated locationdata indicates that the user computing device is within a specifieddistance of a boundary of the point of interest zone.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining, by the user computing device,whether a specified period of time has passed since the user computingdevice received the point of interest data; requesting, by the usercomputing device, an updated transmission of point of interest data inresponse to a determination that the specified period of time has passedsince the user computing device received the point of interest data;receiving, by the user computing device, updated point of interest data;and presenting, via the user computing device, the updated point ofinterest data. 11-20. (canceled)